Paul Berriff, a photographer and documentary filmmaker, remembers the events of September 11, 2001, in vivid detail. On that day, he was working in New York City and found himself at the epicenter of the terrorist attacks.
He was in his office when he heard that a plane had struck the Twin Towers. Initially believing it was a small aircraft, his journalistic instincts took over when his wife informed him of emergency activity in Lower Manhattan. Berriff traveled to the scene to document the unfolding disaster.
As he and his colleague approached, they saw both towers engulfed in flames. "We could see these black dots coming down from the side of each building and we wondered what it was," Berriff recalled. "As we got nearer, we could see it was people jumping, so we knew it was pretty serious." They moved closer to the base of the towers, witnessing firsthand the chaos and the arrival of firefighters.
More than two decades after the attacks, Berriff, now 80 and living in North Yorkshire, is among the thousands of survivors diagnosed with terminal illnesses attributed to long-term exposure to the toxins released during the event. He believes his life expectancy has been cut short due to being buried under rubble.
He has spoken out about his experience, sharing his survival story and the subsequent health consequences that have affected his life.
